Pay-out container for spooled wire and analogous elongated elements

ABSTRACT

A container is composed of a sheet material blank folded about respective fold lines. It has circumferentially extending side wall portions, a pair of inner bottom wall portions located in a common plane connected with one of the side wall portions and having facing edges provided with juxtaposed cutouts, a pair of outer bottom wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping the inner bottom wall portions, a pair of inner top wall portions each connected with one of the side wall portions, and a pair of outer top wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping the inner top wall portions. Aperture-forming means is provided in at least one of the side wall portions to enable egress of the elongated element accommodated in the interior of the container and bearing means is provided in the cutouts so as to support a spool carrying the elongated element turnable about an axis intersecting the top and bottom wall portions.

United States Patent J armalow [451 Aug. 1,1972

[54] PAY-OUT CONTAINER FOR SPOOLED I [72] Inventor: Benjamin Jarmalow, Suffern, N .Y;

[73] Assignee: Saxton Products, Inc.,

22 Filed: Feb. 16, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 115,210-

Congers,

[52] US. Cl. .242/171, 206/52 W, 206/59 R, 242/l37.l, 242/146 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65h 55/00 [58] Field of Search...242/l7l, 170, 159, 129, 129.5, 242/132, 137-138, 141, 146; 206/52 W, 52

R, 59 R, 59 A, 59 B [56] I References Cited v UNITED STATES PATENTS 947,517 1/1910 Greene ..242/l46 1,063,646 /1913 Bournonville ..242/l46 1,159,954 11/1915 Kiso...' ..242/146 1,707,619 4/1929 'King ..242/146 2,542,882 2/1951 Shumway ..242/137.1

5/1951 Dahle ..242/l46 7/1963 .lenson ..242/l37.1

Primary ExaminerStanley N. Gilreath Attorney-Michae1 S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT A container is composed of a sheet material blank folded about respective fold lines. It has circumferentially extending side wall portions, 21 pair of inner bottom wall portions located in a common plane connected with one of the side wall portions and having facing edges provided with juxtaposed cutouts, a pair of outer bottom wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping the inner bottom wall portions, a pair of inner top wall portions each connected with one of the side wall portions, and a pair of outer top wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping the inner top wall portions. Aperture-forming means is provided in at least one of the side wall portions to enable egress of the elongated element accommodated in the interior of the container and bearing means is provided in the cutouts so as to support a spool carrying the elongated element turnable about an axis intersecting the top and bottom wall portions.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing figures PATENTEDAuc 1 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR Bevmmu TA'RIMM 14v /-//l"/r' ATTORNEY FIG. 3

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to containers, and more particularly to pay-out containers for elongated flexible elements such as a wire or a cable or the like which are spooled on spools or reels.

It is of course known to provide containers which accommodate a spool or reel or wire, cable, rope or the like. In fact, it is also known to provide such containers with an aperture so that the end of the wire, rope or similar elongated element (the term elongated element will be used hereafter for purposes of convenience without being limitative) wound on a spool element, can be paid out of the container without having to open the latter and remove the spool element. However, heretofore the paying-out of the elongated element has required 7 that the container be anchored in some fashion, or that one person pull at the free end of the elongated element and another person holds the container to keep it from being dragged along. Evidently this is bothersome and, if two persons are required for such an operation, it is expensive in terms of the cost of labor involved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved container of the type under discussion.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide. an improved pay-out container for spooled wire and analogous elongated elements which serves not only for shipping of the wire, but also for carrying of the wire to a location of use, and which permits paying-out or withdrawing of the wire from the container without necessitating anchoring of the container and without requiring the services of a person holding the container during the paying-out operation.

A concommitant object of the present invention is to provide such an improved container which provides access to the opposite ends of the wire or similar elongated element which is accommodated on the spool in the interior of the container, for test purposes, without having to remove the spool from the container.

In pursuance of the above objects and of others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides in a pay-out container for spooled wire and analogous elongated elements which, briefly stated, comprises a container body defining an interior chamber and being composed of a sheet-material blank folded along respective fold lines. The container body has circumferentially extending side wall portions, a pair of inner bottom wall portions located in a common plane each connected with one of said side wall portions and having facing edges provided with juxtaposed cut-outs, and a pair of outer bottom wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping the inner bottom wall portions. The container body further has a pair of inner top wall'portions each of which is connected with one of the side wall portions, and a pair of outer top wall portions which are located exteriorly of and overlap the inner top wall portions.

Aperture-forming means is provided in at least one of the side wall portions for enabling egress of portions of an elongated element accommodated in the chamber, and bearing means are also accommodated within the cutouts so as to support a spool carrying the elongated element in a position turnable about an axis intersecting the top and bottom wall portions.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top-plan view of a blank for a container according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a container made from the blank shown in FIG. 1, with the contents being illustrated in broken lines; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the container shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIG. 1 thereof, it will be seen that this illustrates a sheetmaterial blank which is to be accommodated in the container according to the present invention. Such a blank, which may be made of sturdy cardboard, corrugated or otherwise, of synthetic plastic material or other suitable material may be stamped, die-cut or produced in any other known manner. As the drawing illustrates, the blank is identified with reference numeral l and comprises a plurality of wall portions 2 which, when the blank is folded to make the container, will be the circumferential side wall portions of the latter, as evident from FIGS. 2 and 3. One of the side wall portions has a further portion, namely an inner bottom wall portion 3 connected therewith and another side wall portion has the inner bottom wall portion 4 connected therewith, both located on the same side. The remaining side wall portions 2 each have an outer bottom wall portion 7 connected therewith. At the opposite side of the side wall portions 2, two of the latter have inner top wall portions 8 connected therewith, and the remaining side wall portions each have an outer top wall portion 10 connected therewith. The portions 3, 4 and 7 can be folded along fold lines Y with reference to the side wall portions 2, and similarly the portions 8 and 10 can be folded on such fold lines Y. The side wall portions 2 can be folded with reference to one another about fold lines X which extends normal to the fold line Y. The wall portions 3 and 7, 4 and 7, and 8 and 10 are separated from one another by narrow incisions or cuts 12.

The inner bottom wall portions 3 and 4 are each provided with a substantially semi-circular cut-out 5, and with a bevelled edge portion 6. The top wall portions each have a cut-out 9 which is semi-circular, and instead of the cut-out 9 the portions 10 are each provided with a substantially semi-circular weakened zone 11 which can be readily punched out later when desired. One of the side wall portions 2 is provided with a weakened portion 14 which can be punched out and at the juncture of this one side wall portion with the adjacent side wall portion 2 there is further provided an elongated weakened portion 13, which can also be punched out at a later time.

The blank of FIG. 1 can be converted into the container of FIGS. 2 and 3 by first folding the portions 3, 4 and 7 along the fold line Y so as to extend at right angles to the plane of the portions 2. Thereupon, the portions 8 and 10 are similarly folded on the other fold line Y. When now the portions 2 are folded with reference to one another on the fold lines X, the inner bottom wall portions 3 and 4 will become located in a common plane such that their facing edges will become juxtaposed and the cut-outs 5 will define together an essentially circular space. The bevelled edges will define a space which tapers or diverges away from the space defined by the cut-outs 5 so that a spool or similar bearing means 18 e.g. a block of wood or plasticcan be inserted from the right end of the taper inwardly until it becomes lodged in the space defined by the juxtaposed semi-circular cut-outs 5. The bottom wall portions 7 will overlap one another and will be located exteriorly of the inner bottom wall portions 3 and 4. The inner top wall portions 8 will assume the same relationship with reference to one another as the bottom wall portions 3 and 4, and the outer top wall portions 10 will assume the relationship with reference to one another which the outer bottom wall portions 7 have with one another. Adhesive tape or other suitable means can be provided for securing the various overlapped portions in their final relationship.

Before the portions 8 and 10 are moved to a position closing the top of the container, a spool on which wire or another elongated flexible element 16 is wound, is placed into the interior of the open container, resting and being turnable on the bearing means 18. One end portion 16, that is the otherwise inexcessible end portion 16a, is pushed into the center aperture of the flange of the spool 20 so that it is readily accessible through the aperture of circular outline which is defined by the juxtaposed cut-outs 9 in portions 8. It will be noted in FIG. 1 that the semi-circular outline of the cut-outs 9 is smaller than that of the outline of the weakened zones 11, although it could also be identical therewith.

When the container is now sealed, it is ready for storage and shipping of the element 16. It may be provided with a handle 17 in form of a strap-handle or the like, for facilitating carrying.

When the contents of the container are to be used, the portions 13 and 14 are punched out, their outlines having been suitably perforated or otherwise weakened to facilitate this operation. The free end portion 16b aof the wire 16 is pulled out through the aperture 13a after the same has been opened. Aperture 13a is elongated in upright direction of the container so that it at the same time serves to inspect the quantity of wire 16 remaining on the spool 20. The portions 11 are punched out to produce the aperture 11a which registers with the cutout or opening 9 and thus affords access to the end portion 16a of the wire 16, which has been put into the center opening 21 of the spool 20. This makes it possible to simply test the wire for the continuity or the likeby connecting the end portions 16a and 16b to a suitable testing instrument without removing the spool 20 from the interior of the container, or without even to have to open the container beyond removing the various portions provided for this purpose.

When the wire 16 is pulled or paid-out from the container, a slight pull on the end 16b is sufficient to set the spool 20 rotating on the bearing 18, and the container will stay in place instead of being dragged on or having to be held by a helper. When a requisite quantity of the wire has been withdrawn, it is cutofi and the newly created end 16b is secured against further undesired withdrawal by putting it from the outside into the aperture 14a so that the container may be put away until further use, or may be carried to another location by means of the handle 17.

The bearing 18 may be of metal or plastic and can be replaced with another bearing means, for instance a block of wood, plastic or the like. In any case, the wire 16 will pay-out smoothly and will not be subjected to kinking or other problems which have been encountered heretofore.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of applications, differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a pay-out container with a spooled wire or analogous elongated element, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is:

1. A pay-out container for spooled wire and analogous elongated elements, comprising a container body defining an interior chamber and being composed of a sheet-material blank folded along respective fold lines, said container body having circumferentially extending side wall portions, a pair of inner bottom wall portions located in a common plane each connected with one of said side wall portions and having facing edges provided with juxtaposed cut-outs, a pair of outer bottom wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping said inner bottom wall portions, a pair of inner top wall portions each connected with one of said side wall portions, and a pair of outer top wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping said inner top wall portions; apertureforming means in at least one of said side wall portions for enabling egress of portions of an elongated element accommodated in said chamber; and bearing means accommodated in said cut-outs for supporting a spool carrying an elongated element in a position turnable about an axis intersecting said top and bottom wall portions.

2. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheet-material blank is at least predominantly composed of cardboard.

3. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, said inner top wall portions also having juxtaposed edges provided with respective recesses which define with one another an opening communicating with said chamber.

4. A pay-out container as defined in claim 3, said outer top wall portions being provided with a weakened zone surrounding an area at least equal in outline to, and in registry with, said opening for removal of the material of said outer top wall portions within the outline of said weakened zone when it is desired to gain access to said chamber through said opening.

5. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1; and further comprising retaining means in at least one of said side wall portions for retaining a free end portion 6' of said elongated spooled element against undesired withdrawal from said chamber.-

6. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1; and further comprising handle means on said container body for facilitating carrying of the same.

7. A pay-out container as defined in claim 6, said handle means being strap-handle means.

8. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, said juxtaposed cut-outs being of substantially semi-circular outline and each being located midway of the opposite ends of the respective facing edge; and wherein said facing edges diverge from one another in direction towards one of said opposite ends. 

1. A pay-out container for spooled wire and analogous elongated elements, comprising a container body defining an interior chamber and being composed of a sheet-material blank folded along respective fold lines, said container body having circumferentially extending side wall portions, a pair of inner bottom wall portions located in a common plane each connected with one of said side wall portions and having facing edges provided with juxtaposed cut-outs, a pair of outer bottom wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping said inner bottom wall portions, a pair of inner top wall portions each connected with one of said side wall portions, and a pair of outer top wall portions exteriorly of and overlapping said inner top wall portions; aperture-forming means in at least one of said side wall portions for enabling egress of portions of an elongated element accommodated in said chamber; and bearing means accommodated in said cut-outs for supporting a spool carrying an elongated element in a position turnable about an axis intersecting said top and bottom wall portions.
 2. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheet-material blank is at least predominantly composed of cardboard.
 3. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, said inner top wall portions also having juxtaposed edges provided with respective recesses which define with one another an opening communicating with said chamber.
 4. A pay-out container as defined in claim 3, said outer top wall portions being provided with a weakened zone surrounding an area at least equal in outline to, and in registry with, said opening for removal of the material of said outer top wall portions within the outline of said weakened zone when it is desired to gain access to said chamber through said opening.
 5. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1; and further comprising retaining means in at least one of said side wall portions for retaining a free end portion of said elongated spooled element against undesired withdrawal from said chamber.
 6. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1; and further comprising handle means on said container body for facilitating carrying of the same.
 7. A pay-out container as defined in claim 6, said handle means being strap-handle means.
 8. A pay-out container as defined in claim 1, said juxtaposed cut-outs being of substantially semi-circular outline and each being loCated midway of the opposite ends of the respective facing edge; and wherein said facing edges diverge from one another in direction towards one of said opposite ends. 